Lizards of the Grand Canyon

Lathis

Chameleon Enthusiast
Just got back from our Vegas/Grand Canyon adventure. In addition to tons of bighorn sheep, bison, and other wildlife, we saw quite a few lizards that I thought you folks would like. No chuckwallas, iguanas, or gila monsters unfortunately. Maybe next time.

Photo 1 - Tree Lizard
He's hard to see, toward the middle of the photo and just to the right. Drab brown above with an emerald dewlap and a glowing blue belly. Here's a much better idea of how gorgeous these guys are: http://71.18.4.194/images/Ajo Mt Area - 640s - 017.JPG

Photo 2 - Desert Spiny Lizard
We caught this guy warming himself on a rock while hiking. He was about 4-inches snout to vent, plus 4-inches more of tail. Very fast.

Photo 3 and 4 - Horned Toad
An absolutely murderously SQUEE moment. The hubby spotted this little guy chowing down on ants. From tip of nose to vent, he wasn't even 1/2-inch long but he definitely was a 1/2-inch wide :D. I wanted to keep him so bad. He seriously did not care about us, so long as he could chase ants. So much attitude for such a tiny, tiny lizard :D

Photo 5 - Komodo Dragon
This is cheating a bit. This juvenile male was at the Mandalay Bay Casino aquarium. Since I had never seen one in real life, it was worth the $18 admission. Nose to vent, maybe 4-feet, plus another 4-feet of tail. Absolutely huge and about half size of a large adult male.
 

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Sounds like a fun trip! Did you camp down near phantom ranch?

You should go to the henry doorly zoo in omaha and see Alby the komodo dragon! I know the keeper who takes care of all the komodo. Seems like a scary job; very easy to get scratched.
 
We allegedly had a species of Horned Toads I think Blainville's (Coast) Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma (Anota) coronatum out on our families ranch. However they were supposed to be extremely difficult to locate as an invasive species of ant replaced the native species that the Horned Toads ate in our area. Great pictures the Horned Toad and other reptiles.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
 
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